handling how much is to much?

[05kas05]

ok so my sstp was born on 6-9-12 so he is right at 4 months now.i received him on 10-1-2012 i put him in his enclosure and left him alone
until 10-7-12 which is when i fed him his first mouse /live which he ate with no problems.i wanted to try and hold him yesterday but he is very quick to bite if you try to get anywhere near him which is understandable he is a little guy so he is nervous im sure. do you think he will calm down with age and regular handling? how often and how long should i handle him i mean i want him to get used to me but i dont want to stress him out at the same time. i used some gloves to get him out yesterday and held him for about five minutes just to get started. is using gloves ok or is not a good idea i did not think it would be a problem but i just want to be sure. any advice and help is appreciated t.i.a 05kas05

[Kara]

Just a few minutes every day or every other day is usually all it takes to calm a young blood python down over time. I would start with short sessions like you are - 5-10 minutes max, and the more your snake settles down, the more time you can add to handling sessions. Make it a goal to end every session on a positive note with the snake behaving calmly, and if he starts thrashing or biting, wait until he is still again for a few moments before putting him away. You don't want to condition bad behavior by putting him away if he pitches a fit.

If gloves help you to handle him more confidently, then by all means use them. Once you've become part of this snake's regular routine & have developed more of a rapport, both of you should be okay w/o the gloves.

Good luck!

[05kas05]

thank you kara your always quick to reply and as always sound advice, this is exactly what i did, when i was getting ready to put him back he bit my finger/glove so i put him back in my hand and just rubbed him for a few more minutes and while he was calm i put him back. im sure he will calm down soon its just a matter of time i will just keep doing what i am doing thanks again.

[Tim Mead]

Rubbing / petting is something strange to a snake..Allowing one to crawl thru your hands is more acceptable to them..When they have years on them and have 100+ hours of handling time they more acceptable to other situations..Animals sense what your feeling so if you are nervous it may very well communicate to the snake..AND as Kara said..